


(Learning How) To Be Brave

by LovesFrogs



Series: That's What Godbrothers are For [3]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Bravery, Bullying, Gen, Growing a Backbone, Harry is a Good Friend, I just love this friendship, Neville is a Good Friend Too, ok, ok?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-27
Updated: 2018-10-27
Packaged: 2019-08-08 14:48:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 726
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16431482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LovesFrogs/pseuds/LovesFrogs
Summary: While Harry's in the hospital wing following the debacle with the Philosopher's Stone, Neville wants to apologize for trying to stop the trio. As it turns out, Harry wants to apologize too.(aka the one where Neville doesn't need to be strong to be brave)





	(Learning How) To Be Brave

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place after Hagrid visits Harry in the Hospital Wing at the end of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s/Philosopher’s Stone and gives him the photo album of his parents. It begins after this quote:  
> “‘Sent owls off ter all yer parents’ old school friends, askin’ fer photos… knew yeh didn’ have any… d’yeh like it?’  
> Harry couldn’t speak, but Hagrid understood.”

Harry spent most of the afternoon thumbing through the photographs Hagrid had given him. There were many pictures of a boy that looked almost exactly like Harry smiling, laughing, or joking around with three other boys in Gryffindor robes. James Potter had brown eyes, and Harry thought his father’s nose might have been a bit longer than his own, but other than that they could’ve been twins. As he got farther along in the album, a pretty red-haired girl Harry thought must be his mother began popping up more and more often. The first time he saw her in the album Harry leaned so close to the picture that his nose brushed against it. She was sitting on top of a large gray rock at the edge of the lake and staring down at the giant squid. There were several twigs and leaves at the edges of the frame, leading Harry to believe that his father had been spying on her and took the picture without her knowing.

Harry was looking at his parents’ wedding pictures in awe when Madam Pomfrey told him another visitor had arrived.

“Great!” Harry grinned, carefully marking his place before setting the book aside. “Who this time?”

“Neville Longbottom,” said Madam Pomfrey, holding the door open for the timid boy. 

As soon as he saw Harry, Neville rushed over and began to wring his hands, apologising frantically all the while. “I’m so sorry about the other night, Harry! I didn’t know it was important; I thought you were just sneaking around again, but I knew that was against the rules and I didn’t want Gryffindor to lose any more points and I remembered last time it happened the whole house was mad at you for weeks. If I’d known what you were doing I swear I--”

“Neville,” said Harry loudly, cutting him off. Then, when he was sure he had Neville’s full attention, “I don’t blame you at all. In fact, I wanted to say sorry to you.” Neville looked stunned.

“But I tried to stop you!”

“Yeah,” Harry grinned. “And you did great!”

There was a short pause. Neville looked even more confused. “I don’t understand,” he said.

Harry sighed, slumping back onto his pillows. “Neville, you’ve been caught in the crossfire between us and Malfoy all year. Then you were really brave trying to stop us the other night, and we were sort of jerks to you.”

“Brave? But I’m not brave at all!”

Harry sat up a bit more. “You’ve been shy all year, Neville. Draco picked on you, Snape scared you, and you thought you should’ve been made a Hufflepuff because you said you weren’t brave enough.” 

Neville looked ready to interrupt, but Harry kept going. “Now look at you: you took on Crabbe and Goyle single-handedly at the quidditch game! You are brilliant at Herbology! You grew a backbone this year, Neville, and when you saw us doing something you knew was against the rules, you tried to stop us instead of letting us walk all over you! Just being shy doesn’t mean you’re not brave, you know.”

“It didn’t make any difference,” Neville argued. “Crabbe and Goyle knocked me out, and you three still snuck around me.”

Harry shook his head. “You can learn to win fights later,” he said, “but learning to know when and what to fight for is important now, and you did it. That’s why you’re a Gryffindor.”

Neville gave a little smile. “You really think so?”

“I know so.”

“Thanks Harry,” said Neville.“You forgive me?” He stuck out his hand. 

Harry shook it. “If you forgive me too.”

“Deal.”

As he withdrew his hand, Neville suddenly let out a little “Oh!” and began hurriedly patting his pockets. “I almost forgot!” he said. “The twins sent you a replacement for their toilet seat, since they knew it got confiscated and all.”

Harry felt a twinge of curiosity. What could the twins have sent instead? Finally, Neville located whatever it was in his pocket, glanced around for Madam Pomfrey, and plunked the item on the side-table beside the small mountain of sweets. Slowly, Harry reached out a hand a picked it up. Then he laughed.

Neville gave a sideways grin. “The figured the seat from the toilet was too obvious,” he whispered, “so this time they sent along the flusher instead.”


End file.
